Comrades, potential benefactors,

For those who don't know me—I'm Edwin Nasr, a writer and former curator from Lebanon who moved to Berlin, Germany almost three years ago on an artist visa.

Shortly after the October 7, 2023 events, a journalist for Die Welt published Instagram stories of mine, screenshots taken and weaponized with malicious intent. I was publicly, and wrongly, accused of misanthropy, incitement to violence, and antisemitism—despite my relative anonymity in the German context, these claims ended up spreading like wildfire across dozens of national media outlets, from the taz to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. I received a flood of death threats. Far-right and “anti-Deutsche” groups called for my deportation. Cultural institutions, including the one I had originally moved to Berlin to work for, all distanced themselves swiftly and in unison. I lost the entirety of my income, couldn’t keep up with health insurance payments, and stopped sending financial support to Lebanon.

The same journalist who initiated the smear campaign ended up compiling a thorough file on me to hand over to the police. As a result, I was summoned to a German court in November 2024, where I was convicted of "condoning a criminal act" and ordered to pay a fine of €1,000. Earlier this year, we appealed the decision, and the Appellate Court agreed to have the case discontinued ("Einstellung") and drop the charges on the condition that I continue fulfilling payment of the fine, now considered an "auflage".

I am sharing this now because I need some help, something I've been finding quite unbearable to do, knowing the majority of us currently face growing precarity and that many—be it in Germany, the US, or elsewhere—have gone through similar ordeals for their positioning. Although I am slowly landing back on my feet, finding steady and reliable income is hard, and I’m still left with the financial burden of paying for legal representation and dealing with debt I've amassed to sustain myself while the smear campaign was in full swing.

If you are able, please consider making a donation to help cover:

Legal fees: €1,500

The "auflage" owed to the German state: €1,000

Outstanding costs: €2,500

Thanks so much for your time, and for the support.

Edwin Nasr